My New Running Partner...Well Eventually

After waiting for three years today I finally got a puppy. She's a little American Bulldog and she is an absolute doll. Her name is Lilly, and you'll probably hearing more about her from here on out!

Do You Know Where The Turkeys Still Run On Thanksgiving?

That's true there will be turkeys still living on Thanksgiving this year, at least metaphorically speaking, and they'll be found at the 62nd Annual Troy Turkey Trot. I'll be there live-blogging the 5k!

I Hate Riding The Bike, I Do Not Hate Riding Bikes

Saint Rose has a pretty decent fitness center located on the top floor of the Events and Athletics Center (EAC). Over my past four years here I have become rather accustomed to this place whether I would have liked to or not. Over my four year running career at Saint Rose I have more often than not been injured. Because of injury I often haven't been able to run at all or have been on a strict schedule where I can only run a certain number of times a week.

Because of that I have turned to The Bike. Hear me out. Growing up and even still I love to ride bikes. There is a big difference between riding bikes and riding The Bike. I give The Bike a name because that is exactly what it is. When I was injured it was always said, "yep coach I'm going to the gym to hit The Bike."

The Bike is stationary, stands about four and a half feet tall and sits nearly a foot and a half from the large glass window of the gym that faces two stories above Western Ave.

I've tried to read books or class work on the bike. Failed miserably. I've tried to peruse through a magazine. Again not happening. There is nothing you can do on The Bike to make the time pass faster or to steer you away from complete boredom. 

I always resolve to jamming out on my iPod and getting the best possible workout I can while doing so. I figure if I have to be doing it than I might as well do it right.

There's always those days where I really can't get motivated and I end up staring at random bad drivers trying miserably to park along Western. At least I don't have to park The Bike!

Race Run, How Did That Happen

Ever gone on a run, and come across another runner? More likely than not the answer is yes, especially if you're from a city or suburban area. In Albany I find that no matter where I run I pass by numerous fellow runners. The situation I'm about to describe usually only happens in the summer. But on this brisk day in November I found myself in the same circumstance.

You're on a run, usually a decently long run, a six plus miler or so and you come across another runner say twenty feet ahead of you. The natural instinct inside of you to race sparks up. You have to constantly remind yourself that this isn't a race it is in fact just a workout and you need not search for your inner strength in order to pass this unsuspecting runner. You keep telling yourself over and over that you don't need to surge ahead. More likely than not, your mind and body do it anyway.

The catch is always after you pass them.

Once you've passed this runner you quickly realize you have five more miles to go and usually this person is going for a casual two miler or something along those lines. This means they're able to run quickly easily and you're trying to pace yourself. This puts you in the transition for turning your easy long run into an intense long tempo run, which is never fun, especially when you're not expecting it.

You'll continue to push because you clearly cannot let this person pass you back. This continues for the entirety until finally the other runner fades off or takes a turn behind you. You instantly pray to never do that again and then continue on your way with a much higher heart rate than you anticipated.

I Thought It Was Bad Before

I don't often talk about myself on this blog and I usually don't rant on and on about random things. In fact I think I've only done this once or maybe twice. I was stressed out beyond belief, I felt like there was not enough time in the day to do everything that I had to do and I wasn't happy about it.

But I've come to a realization.

Abby, You Aint Seen Nothing Yet.

Today I sat down and thought about next semester. It is my senior year of college and after the completion of next semester I am done forever. FOREVER, unless for some outlandish reason I decide to go to grad school. I have finished all my required classes for both my major and my minor in order to graduate in May.

Because of this I will be interning full time next semester.
My internship is not paid.
I need to intern full time in order to receive twelve credits.
I need to have twelve credits in order to be full time.
I need to be full time in order to run Track & Field.
I need to have time in the day to go to practice for Track & Field.
I need to have time in the weekend to go to Track & Field races.
I need to run Track & Field because I'm on scholarship, and I love it.
I need to keep my scholarship because otherwise I can't afford my tuition.
I need to pay my many bills and my rent.
I need to work to pay my many bills and rent.
I need to have hours to go to work.
I somehow need to have more time to get laundry and other errands done.
I need lastly to have 30 stinking seconds to breath between all of this.
I want to have time to try and enjoy my last days in college.

How this is going to happen boggles my mind. I do however realize that in order for this to happen I need to manage my time like Tom Brady in a fourth quarter come-back drive (except for Sunday night, what a let down for us Patriot fans).

I have started to do this. I am not going to let things pile up like I did before. I am going to do things before they are due. I am going to rely a lot on my boyfriend to help around the house, not something I would like to do, but something I know he will gladly accept. I am going to get to bed earlier so I have energy to accomplish all these tasks.

It is going to be hard. But I know this too shall pass.

Something To Say At ROA: A Quick Link Roundup

Cross Country ended last Sunday. Indoor track starts after Thanksgiving break. I am now supposed to be taking part in "active-rest," sounds rather contradictory, does it not?

Active-rest by my own personal definition means you may not run like you would have during the training season but you must stay active. There are various other ways to stay active for runners besides running. Many of which will help you shed a couple of pounds you may gain during your active-rest stage.


Cross training is the best way to achieve active-rest and also is a smart bet for reducing injury between seasons and during the season. Cross training is also an excellent way to stay in ship during the cold and snowy winter days.

A special thanks to Runner's World for a majority of these informative articles.

I'm Back!

I'm back! I hope you enjoyed reading Mary Catherine's posts as much as I did. I would like to thank her for doing such a great job and giving this whole running thing a great shot. I had a good time taking over my guest blog The Art of Adaptation where I learned so much about disabilities and especially Cerebral Palsy. I was able to incorporate my love for running with the idea of intertwining athletics and disabilities. All in all it was a great week but I'm happy to be back here at ROA.